2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Broccoli is a delicious vegetable that is rich in a variety of nutrients. It appears quite often on our tables, and we cook a wide variety of dishes from it with great pleasure. However, broccoli is a pretty whimsical beauty, so it can be very difficult to keep it. If stored improperly, in just a couple of days it takes on an extremely unappetizing appearance and loses its excellent taste. How to store nutritious broccoli properly?
Broccoli Bouquet
This is a rather unusual but incredibly effective way to keep broccoli fresh for five to seven days. Broccoli stalks are dipped into a clean container filled with water to the level of one to one and a half centimeters. And the "bouquets" themselves (that is, the heads of the inflorescences) should be outside. In this form, juicy cabbage is placed in the refrigerator, and for its better preservation, small plastic bags with small holes previously made in them are put on bright inflorescences - such holes will contribute to better air circulation. As for the water in the container, it must be replaced every day.
Paper towels are great helpers
A slightly dampened paper towel can also help keep your broccoli fresh. First, they take a container filled with cold water with a spray bottle and spray water from it onto the inflorescences prepared in advance. Then the broccoli is wrapped with paper towels so that the latter can absorb excess water. However, it is undesirable to wrap the inflorescences too tightly, as well as it is undesirable to put them in sealed containers - the air around this nutritious product should circulate freely. Packaged in such an interesting way, broccoli is sent to be stored in the refrigerator - the cabbage will remain fresh for three days!
Storage in plastic bags
This storage method is also quite acceptable, however, on one condition - all bags must have holes for unhindered air circulation. The prepared broccoli is laid out in bags, after which several small holes are made in each bag near the heads of the inflorescences. And only then the nutritious inflorescences are transferred to the refrigerator.
Freeze broccoli
In the refrigerator, nutritious broccoli can be stored for just a few days, but what about if you want to prepare it for the winter? The answer is simple - freeze! Frozen broccoli is great for up to a year! In order to do this, you will need to prepare two containers: in one of them there should be ice water, and in the other - boiling water. This is to thoroughly blanch the broccoli before freezing. Large inflorescences are divided into smaller parts - this can be done both with kitchen scissors and with a knife. However, it is perfectly acceptable to do this manually. Each part should be no more than two and a half to three centimeters in diameter, and the length of broccoli stalks should be about the same. If you do not divide large inflorescences into small bunches, then their inner parts will not be able to properly blanch.
All prepared inflorescences are dipped in boiling water for three minutes. Stir them from time to time to help them blanch more evenly. Blanching helps ensure the preservation of almost any frozen vegetable. The fact is that any plant contains bacteria and enzymes that can change not only the texture, but also the taste and color of frozen foods, making them completely inedible. And the blanching procedure helps to deactivate these enzymes and remove bacteria, respectively, the taste of the collected inflorescences remains practically unchanged.
The broccoli inflorescences extracted from boiling water are thrown onto a sieve or in a colander and, as soon as the water drains from them, they are immediately immersed in ice water, where they are also kept for three minutes and they are also periodically stirred. Then the cabbage is thrown back on a sieve or in a colander and the water is allowed to drain again. And in order to finally get rid of excess water, the inflorescences are placed on a paper towel or on a wire rack. And finally, the prepared broccoli is laid out in hermetically sealed sachets and, with the date inscribed on them, is placed in the freezer (in the compartment with the lowest temperature).
Recommended:
How To Store Figs Properly
Figs are a rather rare visitor in our latitudes, which are an excellent natural alternative to sweets. As soon as it is called: fig, fig or fig tree. Behind all these names are fragrant and very sweet fruits with a very pleasant aftertaste, vaguely reminiscent of the taste of nuts. However, figs are equally good both fresh and dried. And so that it does not lose its excellent taste, it is important to learn how to store it correctly
How To Store Rhubarb Properly
Rhubarb, which came to us from Tibet, is very nutritious and incredibly tasty. It ranks first in the content of coarse fibers, which play an essential role in digestion. And apples with lemons take only the second and third places, respectively. In short, rhubarb must be included in the diet of every person. In order to be able to use it more often, you need to learn how to properly store rhubarb. However, this is not at all difficult to do
How To Properly Store Chinese Cabbage
Peking cabbage is very healthy and can perfectly complement almost any dish. And it is also good in that it does not require any special storage conditions - the main role in its successful storage is assigned only to the degree of maturation of the heads. You can save this valuable vegetable crop with equal success both in the cellar and in the refrigerator, and in order to do this correctly, it is important to take into account several important points
How To Store Avocados Properly
Avocado is an incredibly nutritious and very healthy overseas guest, more and more often appearing on our tables both as a separate delicacy and as part of a wide variety of dishes. Avocados are loved by both adults and children, and this is not surprising - the wonderful fruits are very rich in vitamins. To enjoy the unique taste of these unusual fruits for as long as possible, it is important to understand how to choose them correctly and how to store them
How To Store Dried Fruits Properly
Dried fruits are a great light snack and a great addition to many popular dishes. To get the most out of them, it is important to learn how to store them correctly - this will allow you to always have healthy and fresh delicacies at hand. All dried fruits are stored in different ways, and now is the time to familiarize yourself with several ways to store them and learn how to keep your favorite dried fruits as long as possible
